


So what do we do now?

by NightSHadoew



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Injustice: Gods Among Us, Supergirl (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Gen, Kara Zor-El needs a hug, My First Fanfic, Protective Bruce Wayne, post-injustice 2, re-building the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 07:08:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21454036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightSHadoew/pseuds/NightSHadoew
Summary: "So what do we do now?" Kara asked."We rebuild." Batman answered simply.Kara looked at the man who she was told was pure evil since the moment she arrived on Earth, the man who fought against her cousin and his Regime for five years, the man who had every reason not to trust a member of the House of El... and thought maybe it wasn't too late for change after all.Injustice franchise has my favourite comic book/video game story I have seen in 5 years. I have been waiting for Injustice 3 or a comic to pick up where we left off in Injustice 2, but since neither of those things happened I decided to do it myself. So yeah here is my idea of what would happen following the Absolute Justice ending(we don't talk about Absolute Power here).
Relationships: Batman & Supergirl
Comments: 19
Kudos: 38





	1. We rebuild

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to use a timeline for this fic centered around Brainiac's attack. In this fic Brainiac attacked at 5th of May and since, as far as I know, there is no date specified for Brainiac's attack I will take the year of his attack as year zero and I will be using AAB(After Attack of Brainiac) and BAB(Before the Attack of Brainiac) to specify the years.
> 
> Disclaimer:I do not own the rights to Injustice franchise or any characters featured in this story. All rights belong to DC comics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a very stonks and bootiful person for editing my crappy grammar chapters 1-8 won’t cause you to cringe as you read them.

09:42- 11/05/0000 AAB - Fortress of Solitude-The North Pole

As the portal to the Phantom-Zone closed, all Kara could do was stare at Kal-El’s back. She knew this was the only option. Kal ruled over Earth for 5 years with an iron fist. She knew if he stayed on Earth, people loyal to his Regime would never stop trying to free him. But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel sadness or guilt imprisoning her cousin—her only living relative in the Phantom-Zone. 

An armored hand softly landing on her shoulder snapped her out of her musing.

"Are you all right?" Batman asked.

Kara shook off his hand and slowly walked forward, gently touching her family crest on her chest. 

"No." she said in a somber tone. "This symbol should give people hope. He made them fear it."

"That symbol's meaning is up to the person who wears it." Batman said, walking towards Supergirl. 

"When Clark and I founded the Justice League, we didn’t govern people, we protected them. Plain and simple. Maybe..." Batman paused momentarily, looking at the torn Regime flags that hung around the fortress. "Maybe the world could use a team like that again."

He extended a hand towards Supergirl with a hint of a smile on his face. "Welcome to the circle of trust."

Kara looked at Batman in surprise. The man who she was told was pure evil since the moment she arrived on Earth, the man who fought against her cousin and his Regime for five years, the man who had every reason not to trust a member of the House of El was now saying that he trusted her. 

_Maybe it’s not too late to change some things_, she thought as she took Batman’s hand. 

"So what do we do now?" She asked. 

"We rebuild." Batman answered simply.

Batman let go of her hand, turned around, and started walking. As Kara began to follow him, he spoke again, "Brainiac might have been defeated, but his attack destroyed or captured many cities."

"Which ones?" Kara questioned.

"Coast City, Metropolis, Singapore, Paris, and Seoul are gone while Central City, Dubai, and Tokyo are still trapped in Brainiac’s collection. We need to—" Batman paused when he heard a confused sound from Supergirl. "Something wrong?" 

Kara looked somewhat embarrassed. "No, nothing is wrong, it’s just..." 

"I’m guessing Black Adam and Wonder Woman skipped geography in favor of combat lessons," Batman said. 

"And telling me how evil you were." she added, hoping to get a small smile from the Dark Knight, but all she got was an annoyed grunt. 

"We need to rebuild the cities that were destroyed in the attack and find a way to reverse Brainiac’s technology so that we can restore the cities he took." he told her. 

They continued walking until he stopped in front of a large door that opened to reveal a lab filled with Kryptonian technology. Batman began to walk towards a research table that held two spheres, containing two cities taken by Brainiac.

Supergirl hesitantly extended one hand towards the spheres. "Are these?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"Argo City and Kandor." Batman confirmed. "I had Flash bring them here. Central City and Tokyo are being studied over at S.T.A.R. Labs in Gotham while Green Lantern has taken the rest of the cities to Oa for study and safekeeping." 

He placed his hand on Kara’s shoulder. "We will find a way to restore these cities, Kara."

Kara reached out and touched one of the spheres. It was warm to the touch. Tears began to fill her eyes as she thought about how Krypton would only be a memory after what Brainiac did. 

She thought that she would never be able to see Argo City or Kandor or her people ever again. But now... there was hope. Hope that although Krypton was gone, one day its twin cities would stand tall once again.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


	2. We don’t make the same mistakes again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't earn the people's trust back Hal, and I never will. Not fully at least." Barry let go of Hal's shoulder. "And we can never fix the things we have done Hal, all we can do is learn from the past and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. All we can do is move forward."

10:42-11/05/0000 AAB - Gotham-U.S.A.

Hal gently landed in front of the S.T.A.R. Labs in Gotham, where all the cities taken by Brainiac were being kept. After a long discussion, both Batman and the Guardians agreed that they would be safer on Oa. Butthey disagreed on what to do with Brainiac himself. 

The Guardians had argued that they were the only ones capable of keeping Brainiac in prison while Batman argued that if Brainiac ever broke free, he could take over the advanced technology of Oa and become more powerful than ever. 

Personally, Hal was in favor of keeping Brainiac on Earth, not because he doubted the Guardians couldn’t contain him, but because he was afraid of what they would do with the technology Brainiac possessed. As much as the Guardian's thought they were infallible, they weren't; the manhunters were the proof of that. That's why he was glad that after many hours of arguing, the Guardians _allowed_ Brainiac to be detained on Earth and ordered him to bring only the cities to Oa. 

He was glad that the Guardians offered to help restore the cities and the millions if not billions of innocent people Brainiac captured even if he thought their motives were less than honorable. Even as a part of him didn't care if the cities were freed or not after the city he cared about the most, the people he loved the most, were gone.

He remembered the last time he saw his parents like it was yesterday. Even after him being away for four years, they didn't hug him, they didn't say it was good to see him, they didn't even smile at him. All they did was tell him they were disappointed in him, that they didn't raise him to become a dictator. It wasn't the first time they told him that, but it was the first time he agreed with them. When they said that during the Regime, he still thought he was doing the right thing and one day they would see that too, but now he knew they were right all along. 

All he could do during that visit was apologize. He couldn’t offer any excuses, he didn’t have any. His father said that he knew he was sorry, but sorry didn't make things right when his mother couldn’t even talk to him. Even that visit was better than his visit to Carol, who slapped him as soon as she opened the door and told him to never come back again before slamming the door to his face. He had hoped he could earn their trust back, but now it was too late. His parents died being disappointed in him, Carol died hating him. 

If he had more time, he could have fixed those relationships. He knew he could, after all, it wasn't too late unlike it was with Guy.

"You couldn't have thought that it would be that simple." Guy Gardner interrupted. "I mean you can't just help a dictator to rule the Earth for five years then expect everyone to forgive you just because you dug holes on a planet for three years and a bunch of short blue aliens with a god complex gave you a green ring." he said as he flew around Hal. 

Hal sighed, ignoring Guy as he stepped into the building. During the four years since the Regime fell, he became an expert at ignoring the manifestation of his guilt in the form of the friend he had killed. After all, people tended to distrust someone who talked to themselves.

"Green Lantern, you are late." came an emotionless voice. 

"Ah, well, what can I say? The traffic was terrible." he said, rubbing his neck and turning towards the direction the voice came from. The voice belonged to a tall man with dark hair wearing a white coat who didn't look amused. 

"The crates are this way." he said, ignoring his comment as he walked down one of the corridors. 

Hal followed him quietly as they walked past many research labs. The man stopped in front of a door and placed his hand on a panel next to it, which Hal guessed was a scanner of some kind. After the scan finished, the doors opened to reveal four large shipping containers in the middle of a large storage room. 

"Is this all of them?" Hal asked as he walked towards the crates. It was hard to believe four containers contained thousands of cities. 

"Yes, except for Central City and Tokyo, which we will study here, and Argo City and Kandor which were taken to the Fortress of Solitude to be studied there." The assistant said as he walked to the other side of the storage room to open the large doors leading out of the building. 

Hal sighed. "The Guardians won't like that. They ordered me to bring all of the cities to Oa. They think they are the only ones capable of restoring them." 

As the large doors began to open, letting the sunshine into the storage room, the assistant turned to face him. 

"If the Guardian's were so worried about the safety of those cities, they could have stopped Brainiac themselves, you know before he destroyed all those world's and took those cities." He walked towards Hal until he was in front of him before continuing. "I don't care what your guardians think. I am going to listen to the people who actually helped stop Brainiac, not to the people who sat on their planet while Brainiac destroyed hundreds of worlds and gave one of Superman's dogs his job back." 

He walked past Hal to exit the storage room. "I trust you can find your way out without breaking the roof." he said before closing the door and leaving Hal alone to his thoughts.

"You better get used to that Jordan." Hal said to himself. 

He formed a bubble around the containers and began to fly out of the storage room. He had just reached the large gates when a man in a red suit appeared in front of him in a flash of yellow lightning. 

"Came to wish me a pleasant flight Barry." Hal said as he landed in front of the Flash. 

"Yeah, something like that. Figured no one else would wish you one." Barry replied, a sincere smile on his face. 

"I hear you guys are keeping Central City and some others here for study." Hal said. 

"Yeah, Batman thought it couldn't hurt to keep a couple of cities on Earth for study. Maybe we can find something the Guardians would miss, you know." Barry said, rubbing his neck. "Look, Hal, I'm sorry about what happened to Coast City, about what happened to your parents and Carol." 

He put a supportive hand on Hal's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

"My parents died being disappointed in me, Barry. Carol... Carol died hating me." Hal said, looking down at his hands as tears began to fill his eyes. Several seconds passed before he could talk again. "How did you earn back the people's trust, Barry? How did you fix the things you have done?" 

He stayed quiet for a long time before managing to look Barry in the eyes again. "I want to do those things but I don’t know where to start." Hal said in a broken voice. 

"I didn't earn the people's trust back Hal, and I never will. Not fully at least." Barry let go of Hal's shoulder. "And we can never fix the things we have done Hal, all we can do is learn from the past and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. All we can do is move forward."

Hal gave Barry a small, forced smile and wiped away the tears. "I guess you are right." Hal said as he began to fly up to the sky, not wanting to let Barry see his weakness any longer "Take care, Barry."

"You too Hal, you too." Barry said as Hal disappeared in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that was the second chapter done. While the majority of the story will be focused on Bruce and Kara I wanted to visit the other characters for the first few chapters. I wanted to see how they were coping with what happened.
> 
> Oh, and one more thing before I go, I wouldn't get too attached to chapter names that answer "What do we do now?" if I were you. While I will try to keep the trend going, I am not sure how long I can keep it. I don't think I am one of those wizards who can write 30 something chapter stories while making the titles follow a pattern.


	3. We get to work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you sure that's even possible?" asked Barry, doubtful that they were lucky enough for the solution to be that simple.
> 
> "All I know is it won't be possible as long as we continue to chat. So Mr. Allen, why don't you go over the data we have collected so that we can start working." Professor Stein said, putting down the papers he was reading. 

10:53-11/05/0000 AAB - Gotham-U.S.A.

After Hal disappeared into the sky, Barry entered the storage room only to see the inside door was closed. _Best to not phase through locked doors when visiting someplace for the first time_, he thought before running to the main entrance. 

He entered the building at regular speed so as to not alert anyone when he saw someone he wasn’t expecting to see anytime soon standing behind the reception desk.

"Helen! What are you doing here?!" Barry asked before running up and hugging her.

"I work here now Barry." Helen answered with a smile after Barry let her go. 

"How are you here? You were in Central City. How did you escape?'' Barry said.

"I am not an idiot Barry, I have seen enough movies to know that alien craft hovering above a tall building in a big city is not good news. Lots of people managed to get out of the city before it was taken." Helen said, her cheerful voice slowly being weighed down with sadness. "But not everyone was that lucky."

"I know. I’m sorry I wasn't there. I promise I will—" before he could finish his apology he was interrupted by Helen. 

"Barry, you were helping to save the world. What happened to Central City wasn't your fault." Helen gave a small smile. "Besides, isn't that what you are here for? To help those other geniuses to get our city back. Speaking of which," Helen said as she pointed towards one of the corridors. 

"Professor Stein and Doctor Choi have already arrived, and Professor stone has been here for almost two hours now. Tell me, Barry, how can you run faster than a fighter jet and still arrive later than everyone else?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, which caused Barry to let out a small laugh. 

"Still haven't mastered the one eyebrow raise skill I see." he said, smiling at her. 

"Still working on it, like you should be working on being on time, Mr. Fastest Man Alive." she kindly countered. 

"Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn't make them wait any longer. See you around Helen." Barry paused for a moment. "It's good to see that you are okay." Barry said before running to the laboratory.

When he entered the laboratory, he saw Silas Stone, Ryan Choi, and Martin Stein were already at work. Professor Stone was sitting in front of a computer and a big glass window that looked over the room where Central City and Tokyo were being studied by various machines. Ryan Choi was working on his Atom suit, while Martin Stein was reading some papers next to him. 

"You are late, Flash. Again" said Silas Stone as soon as he heard Barry come in. 

"Sorry, Professor Stone, but this time I had a reason." Barry said, taking off his cowl. 

"Now I’d like to hear what could make The Fastest Man Alive late." said Ryan, continuing to work on his suit. 

"I had to run to the North Pole to drop off Argo City and Kandor at the Fortress of Solitude." Barry said as he peaked at the Atom suits exposed circuitry. 

"Couldn't you have done that after we were done for the day?" Ryan asked, not looking up from his suit's belt. 

"Batman said to take care of it ASAP. What was I supposed to do, tell Batman to wait until we were done for the day?" Barry replied.

"Batman said ASAP?" Martin Stein asked, confused. Looking up from the notes he was reading

"Well, he didn't say ASAP exactly, but it was implied. Hope I didn't miss the fun?" Barry said. 

"No, you didn't. We are still taking measurements." Professor Stone answered while monitoring the data about the spheres containing two cities on the computer. 

"We are hoping to be able to find a way to send Ryan in there so we can at least communicate with the people inside. We think we might even be able to restore the cities using the Atom suit's tech. You know, if we are lucky.". 

"Are you sure that's even possible?" asked Barry, doubtful that they were lucky enough for the solution to be that simple.

"All I know is it won't be possible as long as we continue to chat. So Mr. Allen, why don't you go over the data we have collected so that we can start working." Professor Stein said, putting down the papers he was reading. 

Barry changed into his lab clothes and began to go through the data they have gathered. Even with his speed it took him several seconds to understand all of it. When he did, he pulled up a chair next to Professor Stone. 

"All right, let's get to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I didn't really like this chapter for some reason. I originally planned to make it a huge info dump, but it was getting too long so I decided to just introduce our brain boys who will be studying the captured cities.


	4. We judge people on their own merits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I am guessing she isn't a fan of mine." Kara joked, trying to ease the tension she was feeling. 
> 
> "No, I don't think she is." Bruce said, taking off his sunglasses before gesturing to Kara to go in first. 
> 
> "Shouldn't you enter first. It's your government." Kara said, hoping Bruce would take the lead. 
> 
> "It's your hearing." Bruce countered. 

09:24-14/05/0000 AAB - Washington, D.C.-U.S.A.

Kara looked out the window of her hotel room towards the streets of Washington, D.C. She and Bruce had been travelling to many cities to help the rebuilding efforts after Brainiac's attack. This was the first time Kara had left Fortress of Solitude since they began researching ways to free cities captured by Brainiac.

She sighed deeply before turning to look at herself in the mirror one last time. She didn't have much of an idea about this planet's sense of fashion, but even she knew she looked good in the clothes Bruce had given him. 

Her hair was secured into a bun that took her fifteen minutes to do it properly. She was wearing a white blouse with a black jacket, another black piece of clothing which Bruce called a pencil skirt, and a black pair of shoes called Babette. They didn't have skirts back on Krypton, but she had seen a few of them since she had arrived at Earth. She had actually been wanting to wear one because they looked easy to move in, and admittedly kind of cute, but this pencil skirt was nothing like the skirts she had seen before. It came down to her knees and was really tight, making it hard to move without ripping it, which was something she had done to two pencil skirts before she learned how to move in one.

A knock came from the door as she was adjusting her clothes. Using her x-ray vision she looked through the door and wasn't surprised to see Bruce on the other side. 

"Come in." she said, giving her skirt one final tug.

Bruce entered the room and closed the door behind him. He was wearing clothes similar to hers, but instead of a pencil skirt, he was wearing pants and something called a tie, which reminded Kara of the leashes humans put on their pets, a thought she had shared with Bruce and got a glare in return. 

"Are you ready?" he asked, looking at her clothes. 

"I am, but do I really have to wear this thing to the hearing?" Kara asked, gesturing towards her skirt. 

"Yes, politicians don't like people who wear costumes to congress. Be glad you don't have to wear high heels." he said before opening the door.

Kara frowned at the thought of wearing high-heels, she doubted she could walk with those things let alone fight like Dinah or Harley. 

"Why do you humans wear such inconvenient clothing I will never understand." she said as she floated towards the door.

"Yes, you are right. Maybe we humans should start wearing capes." Bruce said with a small smile, "and don't fly, it will make people comfortable."

"At least our capes are easy to move in." Kara said as she landed, "I’ll try my best but it's really difficult to walk in this skirt."

"You won't have to wear it for long. Just try not to fall and DO. NOT. FLY." Bruce said before he exited the room. 

"Right don't fly and don't fall, I can do that." she said to herself while she followed Bruce to the elevator. "Hopefully." she whispered to herself.

The elevator arrived within a few seconds and it's doors opened with a soft ding,revealing a man and a woman inside. Their expression changed as soon as they saw Kara and Bruce. 

"Ah, look honey, it's our floor." the man said tensely, grabbing his wife's hand before dragging her out of the elevator. Bruce and Kara entered the elevator, and Bruce pressed the lobby button. 

"Looks like even without the S people are still afraid of me." Kara said, looking down. 

"You are not the person who scared them." Bruce simply stated. 

"Then why would they... Wait, you don't think they were afraid of you. Why would they be scared of you? You are a human, like them?" Kara asked, confused.

"I am the richest man in the world by a large margin who also dresses up as a giant bat and beats criminals to a pulp with his bare hands." Bruce said, but before Kara could say anything else, they arrived at the lobby. 

When she and Bruce got out of the elevator, the conversations in the lobby died down and everyone turned to look at them at them. Bruce walked through the lobby, unbothered by the attention he was getting, while Kara did her best to keep pace with him. They exited the hotel and walked towards the limo that was waiting for them. The driver got out of the limo and opened the door for them as soon as he saw them coming. She and Bruce entered the limo and sat across from each other while the driver closed the door behind them. As they drove through the city, Kara looked out the window with a solemn expression. 

"This vehicle is soundproof, even the driver window." Bruce said, pointing to the window, separating them from the driver. 

"Ummmm." Kara said, tilting her head in confusion.

"You can tell me what you are thinking about, no one else can hear you." Bruce clarified. 

"I was just looking out the window." Kara said, which caused Bruce to raise an eyebrow. "I was just thinking about how much I hate these stupid clothes. I can't raise my arms with this jacket and don't even get me started on this skirt. I mean seriously-" Kara's rant was interrupted by Bruce.

"You don't have to worry, Kara. It's just a hearing." Bruce said, trying to ease Kara's worries. 

"I know it's just a hearing, but after everything... I am a member of the House of El like Kal. If your government, your people are afraid of you, why would they trust me after everything Kal did." Kara said, her voice starting to crack. "What if they think I am the same as him? What if they want to imprison me or leave the planet?" Kara hugged herself in despair, "I don't have anywhere else to go." she said on the verge of tears. 

Bruce leaned forward and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "You are not your cousin, Kara. I know that, and the people know that too. You are not responsible for the things he did." 

_But it is my fault. If I had arrived here when I was supposed to, I could have helped raise Kal. I could have prevented him from doing the things he did_, Kara thought to herself but didn't say it aloud. Instead she gave him a small smile and a nod, trying to convince him she was alright. 

Kara wasn’t sure Bruce was convinced by her act, but he leaned back to his seat and let Kara be for the rest of the ride to the Congressional Hearing.

As the limo approached Capitol Hill, Kara felt her heart beating faster and faster. By the time the limo stopped, she was sure Bruce could hear her heartbeat without super-hearing. _Calm down. Calm down_, just breath, she thought to herself. 

Bruce took out a pair of dark sunglasses from his jacket and put them on before turning to Kara. "Remember to smile and don't fly. Everything else will be fine." 

After taking a deep breath to calm herself Kara followed Bruce out of the limo and into the sea of reporters asking questions and taking photos. The flashes from dozens of cameras was enough to blind even Kara. _So that's why he brought sunglasses. Couldn't he have warned me in advance_, she thought as she followed Bruce to the Capitol Building. 

They climbed up the stairs and entered the building, leaving the reporters behind. Kara looked around the unfamiliar building and noticed a young, beautiful blonde woman approaching them. 

"Hello, Mister Wayne, Miss Zor-El. My name is Elizabeth Brown. They are waiting for you. Please follow me to the hearing room."

They followed her through the corridors to a simple wooden door leading into the hearing room. When they reached the door she turned to Kara, examining her before speaking. 

"Miss Zor-El, are you familiar with the standard procedure of a hearing here on Earth?" She continued without giving Kara a chance to answer. "This door leads to the left backside of the hearing room. When you enter the room, head to the desk at the center, and sit on the chair that's designated to you which is the one on the left. There will be photographers, just let them take the photos. Governor Amanda Green will be leading the hearing, wait for her to talk first, and answer her questions. Is everything clear? Good." Without awaiting a response, she turned and left the way they came. 

"I am guessing she isn't a fan of mine." Kara joked, trying to ease the tension she was feeling. 

"No, I don't think she is." Bruce said, taking off his sunglasses before gesturing to Kara to go in first. 

"Shouldn't you enter first. It's your government." Kara said, hoping Bruce would take the lead. 

"It's your hearing." Bruce countered. 

Kara sighed in defeat and opened the door. The moment they entered the room, photographers started taking photos. _At least, they are not using flashes or surrounding us this time_, she thought as she walked towards the seat that was arranged for her. She sat down and waited for the photographers to finish taking pictures, trying her best to ignore them.

The committee was composed of six government officials with various titles. The head of the committee was Governor Amanda Green. According to Bruce, she wasn't a fan of hers either and wanted to lock her up for the safety of the planet. _Can't really blame her for wanting that,_ she thought. As the photographers finished taking their photos, they sat on the floor below the desk of the committee members.

Amanda Green lightly cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Miss Zor-El, I want to thank you for your willingness to appear before this panel today. The goal of this hearing is to come to an understanding about your future on this planet. To help us with that, the members of this committee have compiled some questions that will help shine a light on your intentions. We expect you to answer these questions honestly. Can we have your assurance that you will tell the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth?"

Kara leaned into her microphone."Yes, Governor Green, I swear under the light of Rao that I will answer your questions honestly.".

Governor looked directly into Kara’s eyes. "Well then, Miss Zor-El, let me start with a simple question: what do you plan to do?" 

"I don't think I understand your question, Governor Green. May I ask you to clarify?" Kara asked as politely as she could. 

"We are wondering what you want to do in the future. Will you be staying on Earth? If so, do you wish to stay as a regular human hiding your true identity, or do you wish to be a so-called ‘hero’ like your cousin was? Or do you have other plans for the future?" Governor Green asked with a slightly hostile tone. 

Kara took several seconds to compile her thoughts before answering. "I was originally sent to this planet by my parents to raise my cousin Kal, but as you know, I arrived too late for that task. Now, I do not know what I should do, but I wish to help the people of this planet any way I can." Kara said, trying to keep her voice even. 

People began to whisper all around the room, and photographers started taking photos of her. Governor Green waited for the people to quiet down before she started speaking again. "And how exactly do you plan to help us? The last Kryptonian that wanted to help ended up becoming the worst dictator we have ever seen. Can you give us assurance you won't follow in your cousin's footsteps?"

And there it was, the question Kara was terrified of. The question she had asked herself multiple times but had no real answer for. She wanted to say no, but couldn't say it. After all, no one thought Kal could do what he did before Metropolis was destroyed, not even Bruce. _How can I be sure something like that won't happen to me_, she thought grimly. 

She didn’t have the answer they wanted so she told them the truth. "I wish I could say I will not follow in his footsteps, but I can't. I do not know what the future holds, so I don't know what I will do in the future. I wish I could give you assurance, but I can't." 

The whispers began anew, louder than before, after her answer.

"So, Miss Zor-El, to make it clear, what you are saying is you can not guarantee that you won't follow in the footsteps of Superman and his Regime. Is that correct?" Governor Green asked amid the whispers. 

Kara felt her mouth dry at the question. "Yes, Governor, I am afraid I can't guarantee that." she replied, silencing the room with her answer.

An expression that was a mix of fear and anger covered Governor Green's face, "I see. Thank you for your honesty Miss Zor-El. I think we can end this-" 

"If you don't mind me asking Governor Green, what will you be thinking about behind closed doors?" asked Bruce, interrupting Governor Green. 

Governor Green's eyes narrowed at Bruce's question, "Some things are better discussed in private, Mister Wayne."

"You may be right, Governor, but I was under the impression that this was a public hearing, not a private one." Bruce countered. 

"This is indeed a public hearing Mister Wayne, but some matters such as possible threats to national security shouldn't be discussed publicly." Governor Green said through gritted teeth.

"While I agree threats to national security shouldn't be discussed in a public hearing, I fail to see how Miss Zor-El is a threat to national security that would warrant a private discussion." Bruce said with a small smirk, knowing he caught an opening. 

"What makes her a potential risk to national security is who she is, as I am sure you are aware, Mister Wayne." Governor Green said, her irritation bleeding into her voice.

"No Governor, I wasn't aware that we were claiming people were a threat to national security based on their heritage." Bruce leaned into his mike "After all that kind of behavior might be considered racist or xenophobic." 

"Normally, you would be right, Mister Wayne, but I am sure we could all agree that Miss Zor-El's special situation forces us to consider her heritage as well."At that comment Bruce's smirk turned into the smile of a hunter that just caught his prey in a trap. 

"By her heritage, do you refer to the powers she possesses due to her being a Kryptonian that was exposed to the Phantom Zone, or do you refer to her being the cousin of Superman. If you think she might pose a threat to national security because of her powers, why haven't you called other powered individuals for a similar hearing until now." Bruce paused briefly, letting his sentence hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing. "If you think she is a threat to national security because she is Superman's cousin, I assume you will be calling me in for a similar hearing soon since my own blood son was part of Superman's regime as well."

"While that may be true, Mister Wayne, the potential dangers of a Kryptonian is-" Governor Green's answer was interrupted by Bruce yet again.

"I can assure you that I know the potential dangers a Kryptonian represent better than anyone in this room, Governor, but let me ask you this: do you want to live in a country that exiles or imprisons people based on things they can't control such as their race or powers they were born with or acquired through accidents. Or do you want to live in a country where people are judged on their actions? I can't speak for you governor, but I would prefer to live in a country where we judge people based on their own merits, not who their family is."

Bruce's speech made the members of the committee talk among each other. Secretary of Defence Kevin Russel, who was sitting to the right of Governor Green, whispered something into Governor Green's ear, which caused her to frown and lean back to her chair.

The rest of the room wasn’t any calmer; photographers started taking photos of them while the people began to whisper among each other, again. 

_I hope they think the same way as Bruce_, Kara thought as she focused on the whispers to understand what the people were saying and was pleasantly surprised when she heard that more than half of them seemed to agree with Bruce. 

As the room calmed down Secretary Russel leaned into his mic. "I think this is a good note to end this hearing on. Miss Zor-El, Mister Wayne, you both gave this panel and the public much to think about. Thank you for your time. This hearing is adjourned."

He got up and exited the room with the rest of the panel following him as the photographers rushed to take their pictures.

"It's time for us to go as well." Bruce said as he got up. 

"You don't have to tell me twice.” Kara said as she got up to follow Bruce. 

They walked out of the room and towards the main exit of the Capitol Building, leaving the reporters and their questions behind. When they walked out of the building, they were surrounded by reporters again. Both Bruce and Kara ignored the reporters and walked towards the limo that was waiting for them. 

The tension that had been building in her since Bruce told her about this hearing finally went away when they sat in the limo Kara let out a long breath, leaning back into her seat. As they traveled to the hotel, Kara found the courage to ask Bruce the question she had on her mind.

"How do you think it went?"

"It went well. I don't know if it will turn the public to your side, but it will at least make them think twice before judging you." Bruce said, loosening his tie.

Kara felt relaxed, she was expecting this hearing to go horrible, but somehow, thanks to Bruce, it didn't end in a disaster. 

"Thanks for being there today. It wouldn't have gone nearly this good if you weren't there."

"You'll learn to deal with politicians in time. Until then, the others and I will help you out." Bruce said. 

Kara could only smile as a response. She was grateful for Bruce's help, but didn't want to burden him with her problems. 

"So what's the plan now?" she asked to change the subject. 

"I need to return to Gotham, you can do whatever you want as long as you keep a low profile." Bruce said, taking out his phone

"I guess I should go back to the Fortress than to run some more tests on Kandor and Argo City."

They have been studying the captured cities for 3 days with no results, but she couldn't give up. She... they needed to find a way to free those cities.

"It's your call." Bruce said before pushing a button on the door of the car, "Mister Taylor, please drop Miss Zor-El off at the hotel before we go to the airport."

No reply came from the driver, but he took them to the hotel like Bruce asked. Kara got out of the limo and turned around. 

"Thanks for today, again." Kara said, earning an acknowledging nod from Bruce.

"I'll be in touch." Bruce said before closing the door. Kara entered the hotel as the limo drew away. She got up to her room and changed into her suit before flying towards the North Pole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to adress two things here
> 
> 1)About the “By her heritage, do you refer to the powers she possesses due to her being a Kryptonian that was exposed to the Phantom Zone” line. In this fic Kryptonians don’t get Superman/Supergirl powers without being exposed to the Phantom Zone first. A regular Kryptonian under a yellow sun would have powers similar to Mon-El from Supergirl TV show(ei. super strength, speed and increased durability but not bullet proof) but as a benefit Kryptonite wouldn’t be harmful to them. I made this change so that there wouldn't be two cities of full of Supermen. Since Zod was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone before he arrived on Earth and both Clark and Kara traveled through the Phantom Zone to reach Earth it doesn't change anything in the continuity.
> 
> 2)Some people may think Bruce iw a bit OOC in this fic because he is a bit too kind to Kara. While normally I would agree Bruce wouldn't be this nice to Kara (you could watch Superman/Batman-Apocalypse to see how Bruce would normally treat Kara) you need to remember that this Bruce still blames himself for not being able to save Clark so he feels responsible towards Kara. Not to mention without Clark, Kara doesn't have anybody (and we all know how Bruce is like with people like that) so he is a bit kinder to her than he normally would be. But don't get me wrong he still has Kryptonite, just in case. He is still Batman after all.
> 
> And to anyone who is wondering:yes this chapter used to be two chapters but I merged them together at the sugestion of a bootiful person.


	5. We will bring peace to the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You may have won the fight father, but the war is far from over. I will free the true heroes you imprisoned, I will find new allies to add to our numbers. In the end, we will win the war. We will bring peace to the world." Damian said aloud, regulating his breaths to calm himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is a short chapter about Damian. For those of you who are wondering since we never saw Damian after his battle against Supergirl I am assuming he wasn't captured with the rest of the Regime. If you are wondering how he left the Fortress of Solitude let me satisfy your curiosity. He got there in the first place with either flying in a jet or wia a piggy back ride from Black Adam or Superman. While the latter is objectively the better alternative it isn't very likely.

10:09-14/05/0000 AAB - Ciudad Victoria-Mexico.

"If you think she is a threat to national security because she is Superman's cousin, I assume you will be calling me in for a similar hearing soon since my own blood son was part of Superman's regime as well." came Bruce's voice from Damian’s laptop.

Getting angry at his _father's_ words, Damian slammed the laptop close. "So you only remember I’m your son when it's convenient for you, father." __

Damian got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked towards the window to look at the streets of Ciudad Victoria. 

"This used to be one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world until the Regime came. We fixed this city, we helped people. We were making the world a better place until you brought down the Regime." He turned away from the window and grabbed his coat. "You don't help these people, but I will." He said to himself before putting on a coat and walking out of his safehouse.

He began walking through the streets. He looked like a normal man out for a walk, but his intentions were different, he was on patrol. _You think you are always right, but look at this city. The crime is up again, gangs are taking over and what are you doing? Talking to people who only care about themselves in Washington_, he thought as he walked through the city. __

He had been walking for less than ten minutes when he heard the sounds of a fight coming from a back alley. He walked into the alley to see three thugs surrounding and pinning a woman and her son against a wall. 

"Hey, why don't you try that on me." Damian said in Spanish, causing the thugs to turn towards him.

"Look, boys, I think we found ourselves a wannabe hero." one of the thugs replied in Spanish. 

"We should teach him what happens to wannabe heroes." another thug said as all of them took out a knife. 

They walked towards the middle of the street and lined up in a horizontal line. 

"You know I am in a good mood today, so if you apologize and beg for forgiveness, we might let you go." the thug in the middle said, who was most likely the leader.

Instead of replying, Damian just stood there silently. 

"Fine. You want to be like that, tough guy. You know what to do, boys." the leader said.

"Slice and dice. Slice and dice." the two other thugs said in unison. 

The thug that was standing towards Damian's right rushed towards him, intending to stab him in his stomach. Damian simply stepped to the side and grabbed the thugs' wrist, twisting his arm and pinning it to his back. The thug let go of the knife in pain, but Damian caught the knife before it fell out of the thug's hand and stabbed the thug in his right leg, twisting the knife before pulling it out. Without the support of his right leg, the thug fell to the ground. Before the other thugs could react, Damian threw the bloody knife towards the thug to the left, impaling his left thigh. He let out a cry of pain and crumpled to the ground

Seeing his goons taken down so easily, the leader turned around and started running while screaming, "I am sorry, please don't hurt me!" in Spanish as he ran away.

Normally Damian wouldn't have let him escape, but he doubted he could catch up to him with the cracked ribs he had gotten during his fight against Kara. 

"You are safe now, they won’t bother you again. I will make sure of it." he said to the mother and son. 

"Thank you, thank you very much." the mother said, bowing her head before taking his son's hand and walking away as fast as she could. 

Damian turned back to the two thugs lying on the ground in pain. They tried to get away, but with their legs injured all they could do was crawl. 

"Like I said, you won't bother them again." he said in a low voice as he pulled a tactical knife from his belt.

* * *

Damian continued his patrol for two hours before the pain in his ribs became too great to ignore, and he had to return to his safehouse. He checked the time when he entered his safe house. He would need to go out on night patrol in around 5 hours but until then, he had time. Time to rest and time to plan. 

He walked to the desk. He knew he needed allies, both old and new if he was ever going to bring down his father. Bruce kept adding new people to his ranks-Firestorm, Blue Beetle, and now Kara. Despite his efforts, sadness overtook Damian whenever he thought of Kara. 

_We could have been friends, she could have helped us take down Bruce for good, helped us protect the world. But Bruce got to her, made her believe only he knew what was best when he knew nothing at all_, he thought as his anger began to rise. __

"You care more about keeping politicians happy while people suffer. You uphold your pointless code no matter how many innocents lose their lives because of it." Damian said before he punched the wall of his apartment with a scream, breaking the drywall. 

"You may have won the fight father, but the war is far from over. I will free the true heroes you imprisoned, I will find new allies to add to our numbers. In the end, we will win the war. We will bring peace to the world." Damian said aloud, regulating his breaths to calm himself. 

When he got his temper under control, he sat down and opened his laptop. He needed information about where the government was keeping the members of the Regime. 

_Let's see if the FBI has upgraded their cybersecurity since the last time_, he thought to himself.__


	6. We will be free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She screamed until there was no air left in her lungs. Her head fell forward, she looked at her bleeding hands and wrist.
> 
> "I will break out of this prison. I will be free. I will be free." she whispered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this admittedly very very short chapter.

Unknown Time-Unknown Location

Diana looked at the walls of her cell, the walls that separated her from the rest of the world. Then she looked down to the golden rope that tied her wrist to the ground. She wanted to rip it to pieces, but she knew she couldn’t do it. Diana didn’t know what the rope was made out of or how Bruce had acquired it, but it bound her strength, it made her a prisoner. She felt anger boiling inside of her as she thought of her situation once more. She, Diana, the Queen of Amazons, was bested and imprisoned by a mortal man. _Again_. 

Her anger grew into pure rage. She grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled on it with all her might. The rope dug into her skin, drawing blood, but she kept pulling. She needed to free herself from this rope, from this cell. She needed to get out of here, but no matter how hard she pulled, no matter how much she bled, the rope wouldn’t snap, the ground wouldn’t crack.

She let out a scream and collapsed onto the floor, breathing hard from the effort. She turned her gaze to one of the many cameras monitoring her cell. 

"You can’t hold me forever, Bruce. I will get out of this prison and I will kill you. Do you hear me, Bruce? **I will kill you!!**" she screamed.

She screamed until there was no air left in her lungs. Her head fell forward, she looked at her bleeding hands and wrist.

"I will break out of this prison. I will be free. I will be free." she whispered to herself.


	7. We train even harder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was blasted forward and crashed into the wall in front of him and crumpled to the ground. He tried to get up as white spots danced along his vision, but stopped when he saw half a dozen guns pointing at him. He tensed and readied himself for the incoming fire.
> 
> "Never let your guard down in the middle of a battle." came Oracle's voice from the speakers. The guns retreated back into the wall, and Blue Beetle let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

09:34-14/05/0000 AAB - Mount Justice, Rhode Island-U.S.A.

"Woah. That was too close." Blue Beetle said,barely dodging an incoming volley of bullets. A red flame turned the turrets that were firing on him to molten metal. 

"Come on man, compared to fighting Wonder Woman this is easy." Firestorm said, flying below Blue Beetle. Firestorm melted another group of turrets before turning back to his friend with a taunting smirk. "You’re falling behind." 

Before Blue Beetle could respond, a cannon appeared behind him and fired. Firestorm didn’t notice the cannon in time and was struck in the back. He howled in pain and rapidly fell to the ground. 

"Where the hell did that come from?" Firestorm grunted from the ground. 

"Jason, are you okay?" Blue Beetle asked frantically, flying towards Firestorm. 

As he was flying, he suddenly felt a burning heat on his back. He was blasted forward and crashed into the wall in front of him and crumpled to the ground. He tried to get up as white spots danced along his vision, but stopped when he saw half a dozen guns pointing at him. He tensed and readied himself for the incoming fire.

"Never let your guard down in the middle of a battle." came Oracle's voice from the speakers. The guns retreated back into the wall, and Blue Beetle let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"Get to the control room; the hearing is about to start." Oracle ordered. 

Blue Beetle heard the sound of the door of the training room opening. Firestorm got up from the ground and started walking towards the door as Blue Beetle followed after him, his body hurting all over. 

"Man that really hurt. We definitely need more training." Blue Beetle said as they walked up the stairs. 

"Yeah that simulator was just brutal. Oracle’s crankier than even Batman these days." Firestorm complained. 

"It seems like it. I wonder why?" Blue Beetle replied. 

"I don't know; maybe it's that time of the month." Firestorm said with a half-smile. 

"Dude, you can't say stuff like that. What if she heard you." Blue Beetle said, elbowing Firestorm in his side and looking around for cameras.

"Man relax, it was just a joke. I already have one guy devoid of humor in my head. I don't need another one beside me." Firestorm grumbled. 

"Jokes need to be funny, Jason." Blue Beetle murmured just as they reached the control room.

The door slid open and they walked into the control room. Oracle was sitting on her wheelchair, looking at the monitor that was showing a news channel.  Of course she is sitting on her chair, what else would she be doing, Jaime thought to himself. Firestorm stood on her left and Jaime her right. 

"Sooo.... How do you guys think the hearing will go." Firestorm asked hesitantly. 

"This is just a formality, isn't it? I mean, she helped us stop Amazo even before she helped us stop Brainiac. She is one of us." Blue Beetle said somewhat hesitantly. 

"They don't know that. As far as the government knows, Supergirl arrived on Earth a week before Brainiac and was immediately found by Wonder Woman and Black Adam." Oracle said without taking her eyes off the monitor. 

"What do you mean they don't know?! How can you keep that under wraps?!" Blue Beetle blurted out before he could stop himself. 

Oracle let out a breath before turning to face Blue Beetle. "Congress is already suspicious of her because of  the S , do you really want to tell them that she lived in Kahndaq for months and helped break Wonder Woman out of prison?" 

Blue Beetle paused for a second before looking down, glad that his helmet was hiding his face "Well, I guess that wouldn't be smart." 

As Oracle turned back towards the monitor, Blue Beetle looked up to see Firestorm mouthing 'cranky' to him while subtly pointing towards Oracle. He looked at the monitor, ignoring Firestorm and waited for the meeting to start, praying that it would go well for Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so a simple chapter just to check in with BB and Oracle. I know Firestorm was there too but truth be told I don't care about him that much. I won't sideline him but don't expect him to be focused on too much in the future. 
> 
> Yes this Mount Justice is the same one Mount Justice that's in Young Justice. This fic isn't connected to Young Justice, I just wanted to use the location.
> 
> I know that chapter title was a bit of a stretch, but honestly speaking I am running out of chapter title ideas.


	8. We look after the young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Shows over, return to the training room." she said without taking her eyes off the monitor.
> 
> "Can’t we take a break? We have been at it since breakfast." Firestorm said.
> 
> "Come on man." Blue Beetle said, pulling Firestorm towards the stairs. "Batman told us to listen to her. You really want to risk getting on his bad side." he said when they were out of earshot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I’m back. That was a long break to put it very lightly. Sorry about that. But I did edit this and the previous chapters with the help of a bootiful person. There is nothing new in them, just fixing grammar and what not, so if you read them before you don’t need to read them again.

10:17-14/05/0000 AAB - Mount Justice, Rhode Island-U.S.A.

"I can’t speak for you governor, but I would prefer to live in a country where we judge people based on their own merits, not their family." Bruce’s words that came from the monitor making Barbra smile. If she knew Bruce he had planned this when the hearing was first called. Those poor politicians never stood a chance.

If she knew Bruce, then he had planned this when the hearing was first called. Those poor politicians never stood a chance.

The hearing was called to an end after Bruce’s comment. She turned off the monitor and went back to the control panel of the training room and began adjusting the parameters of the new training program.

"Shows over, return to the training room." she said without taking her eyes off the monitor.

"Can’t we take a break? We have been at it since breakfast." Firestorm said.

"Come on man." Blue Beetle said, pulling Firestorm towards the stairs. "Batman told us to listen to her. You really want to risk getting on his bad side." he said when they were out of earshot.

Barbra started the training program and watched the two heroes. To most people they would have seemed to be doing well but Barbara could see the flaws. They reacted to immediate threats, not trying to figure out where the next threat could come from. Their evasion tactics and counter attacks were simple, predictable. They were certainly strong and talented, she could give them that, but they weren’t trained. If they fought someone stronger than them, they wouldn’t stand a chance—their fight against Wonder Woman and Supergirl was proof of that.

Regime might have been disbanded but there were still other threats. Brainac’s attack caused old foes like Lobo, Solomon Grundy, and Killer Frost to resurface again, not to mention the ones they haven’t heard from in a long time like Count Vertigo and Vandal Savage. Not to mention the possibility of another extraterrestrial attack. They weren’t ready to face threats like that, not even close.

As she monitored their training, adjusting the program as necessary, a communication request popped up on her display. She wasn’t really in a mood to talk but considering who was calling she didn’t have much of a choice.

"What can I do for you Bruce?" 

"How's the training going?"

"Slow. You sure you don’t want to train them yourself?"

"I’m sure. They are in the most capable hands I know.” 

"And the least busy." Barbara added with a smile, earning one of Bruce’s signature grunts in return.

"When will Kara join them in training?"

"She is busy researching how to free the captured cities."

"She needs training Bruce."

"She had training."

"Not enough and you know it."

"She can help more people by working on the captured cities."

"Is that what you think or what she thinks?"

Bruce grew silent for some time.

"She needs to help free the citizens of Kandor and Argo." He said in a low voice.

"She needs training, Bruce. Diana trained her to fight you, not to protect people. It may have been enough against Amazo, but if she goes out without more training there is a good chance she will cause more harm than good."

"Notify me if anything unusual happens." Bruce said before ending the call.

Barbra sighed as she leaned back into her chair. She would need to talk with Bruce again, but right now she still had two newbies that needed more training than Supergirl did. 

Blue Beetle excelled at evasion, but he was lacking when it came to long term tactics and strategy. Firestorm had the most versatile power she had seen since Zatana and thanks to Professor Stein, he knew how to use it.She shifted her gaze to Firestorm, Jason’s instincts were top notch but he was quick to give into his impulses. 

Almost one hour after the new training program started, Firestorm destroyed the last of the turrets Barbara spoke through the intercom. "Lunch break. Be back after one hour."

As Blue Beetle and Firestorm headed out of the training simulator, Barbara accessed Brother Eye. Even with its capabilities severely limited since Brainac’s attack, it was still the best tool Barbra had to locate Damian. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Barbra has a confusing story in the Injustice universe, meaning that the games and comics don't line up. For purposes of this fic she was Batgirl for some time but she retired then the events of the Killing Joke happened. She then continued to support Bruce before and after the Regime as Oracle. If you are wondering where she was in the events of Injustice 2 the best answer I can give you is I am assuming she was on a break to relax and when Brainiac attacked, he cut her communication to Bruce as well. I know it's not the best, it's what I got. If anyone has a better idea where she was during the attack please let me know.


End file.
